Tip Jar is the musical project of Bart de Win and Arianne Knegt. After having recorded a couple of duets for Bart's solo albums, the two discovered that their voices blended in a natural way. They decided to create room for a duet based collaboration and that's how Tip Jar was born. Bart and Arianne started to write songs together, and recorded them in a pure and honest manner, always letting the essence and character of the song prevail.

Bart studied jazz piano and vocals at the conservatory, but got inspired by americana music, and his interests developed in a more rootsy direction where his jazz background blended in easily, and his music has been described as a crossover between americana, blues & jazz. He has been a regular in the music business for many years now, has played the Dutch theaters for fifteen years with Gerard van Maasakkers, tours with international artists like Iain Matthews, Walt Wilkins and The Birds of Chicago, played with people like Greg Trooper and Kevin Welch and taught young talents like Shirma Rouse and Miriam West in his job as a teacher at the Rotterdam and Utrecht conservatories. bartdewin.nl

Arianne Knegt started singing in bands and choirs during her school days. Later she became the lead singer in Marylou & The Good Old Boys, a country and rockabilly band. Since 2009 Arianne is one of the voices of The Simple Life. She has a passion for attending concerts, and regularly writes reviews for the music websites Folkforum and Altcountryforum. Alongside her vocal and songwriting contributions she takes care of the promotion of Bart de Win & The Simple Life and Tip Jar. shine-a-light.nl

You might have seen Tip Jar’s founding member and main composer Bart de Win with Iain Matthews in Matthews Southern Comfort, or with the Birds of Chicago or Walt Wilkins. His own band Tip Jar feels very much at ease in the cradle of American roots music. The USA-Netherlands connection is vividly present on all of their albums, both in the choice of the musicians they work with and the overall americana atmosphere. Tip Jar operates in the americana genre, on the hippie side of country, with influences of pop and jazz. Again they have made an intense, warm and sparkling album of eclectic americana songs, often leaning on acoustic instruments and vocal harmonies. And they will keep on going, exploring their trail, or, as Bart and Arianne state it: “Struggling against the tides we keep on believing, loving and creating. There is always a new freight train around the bend. And it will keep on rolling. Onward. Always.”

Onward is the fourth album by Tip Jar and involves their various musical friends from all over the world. Their warm and catchy sounding. hippie pop & country is greatly inspired by their tours through the Texas Hill Country. Onward (just like the previous one Gemstone Road) was recorded in Austin, Texas and produced by Walt Wilkins, a true song craftsman who for example also produced Sam Baker’s first two albums.